Table 2.
Characteristics of the patients who experienced abnormal olfactory sensations during radiation treatment
| Sex/age (years) | Primary disease/location | Surgery/Biopsy | Radiation therapy | First day recorded (treatment days/cumulative dose (Gy)) | D2 of the olfactory region (Gy)a | Counter measure | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTV | Technique | Dose/fraction (Gy) | |||||||
| 1 | F/17 | GCT hypothalamus | Craniotomy and biopsy | CSI | Conventional | 1.8 | 3/5.4 | 1.8 | Stuff up the nose |
| 2 | F/8 | GCT pineal body | Craniotomy and biopsy | WV | 3D-CRT | 2.0 | 3/6.0 | 1.3 | None |
| 3 | M/12 | GCT pineal body | Endoscopic biopsy | WV | 3D-CRT | 1.8 | 11/14.4 | 0.74 | Essential oils |
| 4 | M/13 | Ependymoma temporal lobe | Craniotomy and tumorectomy | LF | IMRT | 1.8 | 23/30.6 | 1.1 | Essential oils |
| 5 | M/47 | Pituitary A Pituitary G | Tumorectomy through the nose | LF | IMRT | 1.8 | 8/10.8 | 1.8 | None |
| 6 | M/14 | GCT pineal body | Endoscopic biopsy | WV | IMRT | 1.8 | 20/27 | 1.3 | Essential oils |
| 7 | M/11 | Ependymoma posterior fossa | Craniotomy and tumorectomy | LF | IMRT | 1.8 | 12/14.4 | 0.50 | Sedation |
aGy/fraction. M = male, F = female, GCT = germ cell tumor, pituitary A = pituitary adenoma, pituitary G = pituitary gland, CSI = craniospinal irradiation, WV = whole ventricle, LF = localized field, 3D-CRT = 3D conformal radiation therapy, IMRT = intensity-modulated radiation therapy.